1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to call diversion devices and more particularly to telephone answering and call diverting systems having improved identification and control capability.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices for transferring telephone calls have been known in the past. Many of these devices, however, appraise the caller of the process either due to signals on the line or the answering service operator having to ask who the caller is calling. One expensive prior art approach requires the answering service to maintain a separate line for each customer. Another approach is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. to Smith et al, No. 3,704,346. This approach transmits an identification code upon command of the operator prior to transferring the call. The identification process, however, is both error prone and slow, requiring ten seconds to receive commands.